‘Exceptional’ European capital is world’s most liveable city – but it’s not London

More than 9 million people are thought to live in London, but despite its popularity, England’s capital city hasn’t been named as one of the most liveable places in the world.

It didn’t make it into the top 10… or top 20… or the top 40, for that matter. 

According to the new analysis by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which ranked cities based on criteria such as healthcare, education, culture, safety, and stability, London is the 45th most liveable city in the world.

London was even beaten out by Manchester, which ranked two spots higher at number 43.

Instead, it was Vienna that came out on top, for the third year in a row.

The capital of Austria, which has been hailed as an ‘exceptional’ and ‘beautiful’ city in reviews on Tripadvisor, scored full marks for healthcare, education, infrastructure, and stability, and an overall score of 98.4 in the global liveability index. 

Following closely in second place, with a score of 98, was Copenhagen, with Zurich in third, Melbourne fourth, and Calgary in Canada and Geneva tied in fifth place.

The top 10 was rounded out with Sydney, Vancouver, Osaka, and Auckland. 

As such, western Europe was found to be the most liveable region in the world, with 30 European cities in this year’s rankings gaining an impressive average score of 92 out of 100. 

However, the region did notably see the biggest fall in score in the stability category, due to an increase in protests on a variety of issues. 

The Middle East and North Africa were found to be the region with the least livable cities overall, with Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli (Libya), and Damascus (Syria) at the bottom of the rankings.

Toronto in Canada saw the biggest overall decline in points, dropping out of the top 10 to 12th place. And some of America’s most iconic cities, like Los Angeles and New York also struggled, ranking at 58 and 70 respectively. 

Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at EIU, said: ‘Global liveability has risen fractionally over the past year but risks to stability remain. Still-high inflation accompanied by high interest rates and other economic headwinds led to another year of frequent protests across the world.

‘Since we conducted our survey, there have been more instances of civil unrest and demonstrations around the world, such as the campus protests across the US, suggesting continuing stress on liveability that is unlikely to ease in the near future.‘

The UK might not have featured heavily on the list, but if you’re wondering where the best spots here are, then we’ve got you covered as some of the top destinations have recently been revealed.

For instance, the Group Leisure & Travel Awards shortlisted Leicester as one of the UK’s best places to visit.

The final resting place of Richard III was described as a ‘friendly’ and ‘walkable’ city, and is home to historic buildings, famous Indian restaurants, and a popular football club.

Meanwhile, Salisbury has been proclaimed one of the UK’s best cities for a short break.

This was based on hotel prices and visitor satsfaction levels, accoridng to new data from Which.co.uk.

Embedded in medieval history, Salisbury is an English gem with plenty to delve into, from local markets to quaint walks. A visit to Salisbury Cathedral is a must, and of course Stonehenge is just eight miles north of the city.

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